( 5 1 ) 
Frogs, both in Afia and Africa, according to Merian , change gradually 
from fifhes to frogs as thofe in Europe, but after many years revert again 
into fillies, tho’ the manner of their change has never been investigated. 
The fubjeCt engraven on the plate is of the fize of life (F G) and greatly 
exceeds that figured by Merian in her hiftory, p. 71. which leads one to 
fuppofe that it is a different fpecies. Her figure expreffes the fin which paf- 
les round the tail fcolloped, but in the animal here drawn the fin is perfect¬ 
ly even the hinder feet in the engraving by that Lady, have only four toes 
each; but this has five, befides a fmall fubftance like a toe. The figures 
(A BCD) are tadpoles received at the fame time in their different changes 
from frogs, different from European, and perhaps the fame defcribed by 
Merian and Seba. 
The little tadpoles on the plate (A B C D) are Specifically different from 
the large ones (F G) as is obvious by the difference of their feet: the hin¬ 
der feet of one of the fmall ones is magnified at E, which Shews that the 
ends of their toes are round and flat on their under fides, both in the hinder 
and fore feet: foreward they have four toes on each foot unwebbed; the 
hinder feet have four toes each, webbed altogether. 
Whether this animal is, in its perfect State, a fpecies of frog with a tail, 
or a kind of water lizard, requires a greater degree of fagacity to deter¬ 
mine than our Author pretended to : but when its fize is confidered, if it 
Should be deemed a tadpole at firSt produced from fpawn, and in its progrefs 
towards a frog, fuch an animal when full grown, if it bears the fame pro¬ 
portion to its tadpole as thofe in Europe do, muSt be of enormous fize, for 
our full grown frogs exceed the tadpoles at leaft fifty times. 
The 
